Hundreds take part in summer scarecrow trail

Photo of two people holding a banner over a scarecrow figure.
Mayor Michael Hill with the winning scarecrow Mrs Tiggy-Winkle and her creator Gina Eve.

The 2021 Bradley Stoke Scarecrow Trail held over the school summer holidays was a resounding success with hundreds of local families taking on the challenge of visiting all 29 figures.

This was the second year for this community event, with the theme of the scarecrows this time being characters from children’s books, films or nursery rhymes.

Taking place from 14th August to 28th August, the two-week event was staged by Bradley Stoke Town Council, with all proceeds going to the mayoral charities for 2021/22, which are St Peter’s Hospice and Dogs for Good.

Trail maps were sold for a £2 charity donation, with around 500 maps being purchased over the fortnight.

Cllr Angela Morey, elected as an independent town councillor in May 2021, organised the event. She commented:

“I was so excited when I was asked to coordinate the scarecrow trail, having enjoyed the 2020 trail so much and with my background in fundraising. It has been wonderful seeing so many families with maps in their hands and smiles on their faces over the past two weeks, enjoying themselves whilst exploring our community.”

“The weather has been pretty kind and the scarecrow designs amazed me. Such creativity! We saw scarecrows with music, scarecrows with educational leaflets, and scarecrows made entirely from recycled materials – it was amazing!”

“I would like to thank everyone who bought maps, all the scarecrow creators and our generous event sponsors. Congratulations to the winners!”

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Kitchen & Laundry Appliance Care, Bradley Stoke, Bristol.

Sponsors of the event were: The Hollow Tree pub, MyVillageShop, Chickp, Revolution Repairs, HappifyNow, Divingkit.co.uk, Happy Days Nursery, Laurel & Mane and Helen Abbott Pilates.

Several of the scarecrow hosts took the opportunity to promote their own community groups, projects and interests to the steady stream of visitors.

The winning scarecrow, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, lives on, having been donated by its creator Gina Eve to a hedgehog rescue centre in Yate.

An award ceremony was held at the Jubilee Centre on Saturday 4th September, where the trail winners were invited to receive their prizes from Cllr Michael Hill, mayor of Bradley Stoke.

Cllr Hill said:

“I would like to thank Cllr Morey for organising the trail, all the people who made scarecrows, all the businesses that sponsored the event and everyone who toured the town to choose their favourite. It was a great example of the town’s residents having fun and raising money for good causes.”

At the time of going to press, the amount raised by the event stood at around £1,950.

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The winners

Favourite scarecrows*

* As voted by participants

1st Mrs Tiggy-Winkle
By Gina Eve

2nd Super Mario
By the Rajnoha family

3rd Mr Men
By Bradley Stoke Zero Carbon Community Group

=4th Monsters Inc
By Del McIntosh

=4th Three Little Pigs
By Wildhearts Childcare

Mayor’s favourite

1st= Cruella De Ville
By Bradley Stoke Community School

1st= Jack and the Beanstalk
By Bradley Stoke in Bloom

Trail Map Prize Draw (£50)

The Nicholson family

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Photos

Photo of a scarecrow in the form of a seated hedgehog wearing clothes.
Favourite Scarecrow (1st Place): Mrs Tiggy-Winkle.
Photo of a scarecrow in the form of Super Mario.
Favourite Scarecrow (2nd Place): Super Mario.
Photo of four scarecrows in the form of Mr Men characters.
Favourite Scarecrow (3rd Place): Mr Men.
Photo of a scarecrow in the form of animation film character Cruella de Vil.
Mayor’s Favourite Scarecrow (joint winner): Cruella de Vil.
Photo of a scarecrow and accesories depicting Jack and the Beanstalk.
Mayor’s Favourite Scarecrow (joint winner): Jack and the Beanstalk.

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This article originally appeared in the September 2021 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on pages 22 & 23). The magazine is delivered FREE, nine times a year, to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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